Blake muddled through the first two classes in a blur. He hadn't had a chance to talk with Sam yet, but they were in 4th period together, so he'd catch up with him there. He also had an appointment for a psychological chat with Doctor Samuels starting during his lunch hour. He was sure he could keep her in the dark. He just wasn't looking forward to being grilled about what troubles might be going on in his life.
More than anything, Blake was trying to figure out how and why an entire family would disappear without a trace. And why was nobody taking this disappearance seriously? If they had left of their own accord, there would have been phone calls, notes, something...something to tell someone that they were leaving. Even if it had been a dire emergency, they would have told someone.
No. Blake was sure something more sinister was involved and he was determined to find the identity of that sinister something.
Blake felt bad that Sam had been arrested, but something good might come of it if it meant the police would finally start looking more intently at the disappearance. He was sure that Sam and his dad would be able to get out of any mess free and clean. Once Sam is eliminated as a suspect, the police will be able to start looking for the real problem.
The bell rang ending third period. Time for lunch.
Blake walked down the hall towards the cafeteria, glancing around anxiously trying to find his friends. He saw Tony first, in a line across the room, but he remembered the need to be distant for the time being in case the Commander was watching them. Working his way towards the food, he spotted Tami and Paul working towards a table. Blake got his food and rushed over to chat with them before he had to go have his head shrunken by the school psychologist.
"How's it going guys?" Blake set his tray on the table and slid next to Paul. Paul remained ominously silent, nodding in acknowledgment, but not saying a word. Blake glanced past Paul to Tami and smiled.
"How can you be so calm after getting Sam arrested?" Tami hissed under her breath so other students wouldn't hear. Her green eyes burned through Blake. He flashed a crooked smile and looked casually over each of his shoulders before leaning closer and talking softly.
"I feel absolutely awful about Sam. Have no doubt about that. I wanted to keep all of you out of this thing altogether. I sent Sam on the assignment with the most potential danger because I knew if anything like this were to happen, his dad would be able to help him out, which he has done. But trust me, I never expected anything to happen.
“I've been in and out of that house dozens of times this past week without incident. I tried to plan our assignments carefully and judiciously, but there is always the chance for a random element to provoke danger. We all know that from previous experiences and we all agree to push forward no matter what. Sam is as much my friend as he is yours and I feel just as bad about the situation as you do. Actually, I likely feel worse than you do because I shoulder a large portion of the blame. But I am able to shrug that blame aside and move on, knowing that Sam will overcome and all will be well."
He could tell by the look on Tami's face that she didn't entirely agree with him, but she wasn't willing to argue the point more. Blake didn't want to talk more about it here either, considering the many ears around. He was certain the Commander was watching him, and he didn't want to make any missteps.
"We can talk more about this at the park this afternoon. For now, put on your happy mask and let's be the jovial happy-go-lucky students that this school believes us to be. I need to go prove my normalcy to the school counselor in ten minutes. I need to be focused on the mundane rather than the portentous."
After a few minutes of awkward silence while each of them ate their lunch, the group was chatting and laughing like the long time friends that they were. Two tables away, the Commander watched Blake with a curious eye. He didn't know much about Tami and Paul, but he made a note to check their records when he got back to his room. After finishing his lunch, he sat waiting for Blake to rise. The Commander followed him from a distance and watched as he entered the counselor's office. With a smirk, the Commander meandered down the hall back towards his room to eavesdrop on their conversation.
1 comment:
This isn't going to end with some connection to aliens is it?
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